I've always known I was more interested in the younger grades, but I always thought kindergarten would just be a little much for me. Especially knowing that a lot of kids in Metro don't go to preschool, so kindergarten really is their first "school" experience. I definitely didn't want to deal with beginning of the year behavior, and I thought teaching kindergarten standards would be mind-numbing.
But... oh my goodness, I LOVE kindergarten. I mean, I was right to be concerned about those things, and of course I haven't had kindergarteners in August. But now, I really think the positives outweigh the negatives, and I would be really excited to teach kinders in the fall. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I have truly loved this placement; I even enjoyed writing some of my lesson plans, and that's saying something! And although I was exhausted anytime I wasn't at school (that's inevitable with student teaching, right? Also regular teaching, probably), I always felt energized and excited around the students.
Which is not to say it hasn't been challenging; I have learned SO much, and not just about kindergarten. I'm so thankful for this placement because I was genuinely passionate about it, but I also know that I will be a better teacher in any grade because of all the things I learned from teaching kindergarten. (Cheesy but true!)
Has anyone else been pleasantly surprised by something you did for student teaching this semester? A grade level, subject, teaching method, etc?
Woohoo!!!! That's very exciting. I'm glad you like Kindergarten so much.
ReplyDeleteFor me the surprise has been that I really do like Middle School. I theoretically liked middle schoolers, but I had never tested the idea. And people always act like no one can like middle schoolers and that they're crazy. But, man, I love 5th graders. They're so cool! And 8th graders too. 5th grade is at that age when students are becoming truly empathetic and also thinking seriously about the wider world. And it was so fun writing lesson plans for them. But I love first grade too--I think my ideal classroom is still a one-room schoolhouse with all the grades.